Rancho Primicias


Next to El Chato is this private ranch, where there are dozens of giant tortoises, and you can wander around at will. The entrance is beyond Santa Rosa, off the main road – ask locals for directions. Remember to close any gates that you go through. There is a cafe selling cold drinks and hot tea, which is welcome if the highland mist has soaked you.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Lava Tunnels

0.09 MILES

These impressive underground tunnels southwest of the village of Santa Rosa are more than 1km in length and were formed when the outside skin of a molten…

2. El Chato Tortoise Reserve

0.12 MILES

South of Santa Rosa is El Chato Tortoise Reserve, where you can observe giant tortoises in the wild. When these virtually catatonic, prehistoric-looking…

3. Los Gemelos

4.87 MILES

Part of the highlands that can be visited from the road are these twin sinkholes (not volcanic craters), surrounded by scalesia forest. Vermilion…

4. Cerro Crocker

7.81 MILES

A path north from Bellavista leads toward Cerro Crocker (864m) and other hills and extinct volcanoes. This is a good chance to see the vegetation of the…

5. Playa Mansa

9.06 MILES

If you walk the length of Tortuga Bay, you'll reach this picturesque lagoon lined with mangroves. Here you can spot marine iguanas, brown pelicans and…

6. Tortuga Bay

9.43 MILES

In terms of sheer white-sand beauty, this beach is the rival of any in South America. You’ll find it at the end of a 2.5km paved trail southwest of Puerto…

7. Laguna de las Ninfas

9.76 MILES

This peaceful lagoon has a short boardwalk path, where you can stop to take in the mangroves while looking for stingrays, baby sharks, sea turtles and…

8. Tortoise Statue

9.85 MILES

Among the various statues of prominent Galapagos wildlife around Puerto Ayora, this is probably the most photographed of them all.